Time Well Spent
by LeafyGreenCloud
Summary: One year after the Battle of Hogwarts, what would happen if Harry prevented Tom Riddle from being born? Time travel, Alternate Universes, a random idea that escaped from my mind.
1. A Burst of Green Flames

A/N: I wish this was mine, sadly (or not so sadly) it all belongs to JKR.

* * *

The first anniversary for the battle for Hogwarts was a subdued affair. Classes were cancelled and most students spent the day in natural silence. For the older students no words were needed. Some of the surviving DA members returned to the school to visit friends and relatives, they were accepted with whispered greetings, as if even noise were enough to disturb the solemnity of the occasion. All except one, a certain green eyed man was talking, yelling even, at a painting, in a room, in a tower, that might as well have been on another continent for all the differences in atmosphere.

It was here in the headmaster's office that one Harry Potter was yelling furiously at a painting.

"You mean to tell me that if I were to go back in time and prevent Merope Gaunt from feeding the love-potion to Tom Riddle Sr. none of this would have happened!"

"Yes, Harry, you have the chance to change history"

"Change history! Change History! Why did you in your obviously infinite wisdom not do this already! What were you thinking? Merlin, all this time the only thing that needed to be done was to stop one sad, lonely girl from making one mistake! What were you thinking, no really, what on earth were you thinking?"

"Harry, despite being a portrait of him I am not actually him, I don't know what I was thinking I only know that it was thought."

"Because that is so much better than actually knowing why you let all those people die when you had the solution."

"Time is a funny thing; if you were to do this none of those people would have died at all so it really doesn't matter when it gets done."

At these words the infuriating portrait of Albus Dumbledore smiled suggestively at Harry and then looked pointedly at the chart of ruins on the desk. "All you have to do is follow the spell I told you about and it will take you there". Harry let out a noise that sounded very much like an angry dragon. A painting of a lesser wizard would have fled at this stage, sadly for this painting tact was never incorporated into its creation. "How would I get back, if I hypothetically did choose to go?" Harry asked. "Well" the painting shuffled slightly in its chair,

"You won't actually come back; there is a minor side effect that means if you successfully alter time, you will become trapped in an alternate time strand. Terrible things happen to wizards that meddle with time Harry; you will be separated from everything you have come to love for the dream of a better world."

Harry's face took on a menacing expression and the painted Dumbledore began to creep towards the edge of his frame.

"So you are telling me that by choosing to go back in time, this time line will not actually change, I'll just give up any chance at enjoying the peace to make a nice new timeline, everyone here will still die"

"No, I am telling you that this timeline will become a dead end. It will just stop where it is, all the souls will return to the place souls go. Many will be born as different people in the new line"

"Why should I do this?" Harry looked at the painting with finality; his confused thoughts began to quieten, knowing that the answer of the portrait would decide the end of this conversation. It was quiet, so quiet that Harry almost didn't hear what the painting had to say, "He said to tell you, that you should do it for the greater good". Harry swore using some of uncle Vernon's choicest swear words, then, much to the paintings misfortune, he set it alight with his wand, watching as the canvas curled and crumbled into a sorry looking pile at the base of the frame. That done, Harry turned around and summoned Hermione's small beaded bag from the guest's room, old habits die hard he muttered darkly to himself. When the bag arrived he scanned its contents quickly making sure in had all the necessities, grabbed the sheet of ruins from the table, then approached the headmasters private Floo and called out Diagon Alley before disappearing in burst of green flames.


	2. That Elusive Thing

Harry exited the fire place at the Leaky Cauldron covered in the tell tale ash of the floo network. Acknowledging the toothless landlord, he passed through the sparse scattering of pub dwellers, a man with two noses, a woman with a floral top hat, and a family of pink haired dwarves before reaching the brick wall that guarded the Alley.

He remembered the first time he had visited Diagon Alley, it had been his first real taste of the wizarding world. Jeweled tortoises and magic wands had made the trip feel like his dreams had taken shape and solidified. It was different now. The air of innocence and wonder had vanished, dirty corners, and the light rubbish of discarded straws and bottle tops that followed large crowds had gained prominence. The tinkling shop bells sounded eerie rather than musical and the smiles on shoppers faces appeared more than a little forced. It was as if the Alley had shifted on its axis and in the process lost something intangible, a spark of life that no longer emanated from every shop window.

He reached the bronze and silver doors of Gringotts and was met with the disdainful gazes of the goblin doormen. Upon entering the polished entrance hall he was met with silence and subjected to the goblins glares. It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps the goblins were yet to find the humor in riding a stolen dragon through the countryside.

Confidence waning, he approached the nearest teller,"Ah, Mr. Potter, back so soon? What is it that you want?". Straightening his shoulders Harry gathered his strength and spoke, "I wish to cancel my account, can I have all my funds placed into a travelers purse, thank-you". If it were possible the goblins scowl deepened. As the teller reached beneath the counter Harry was forcefully reminded of History of Magic lessons describing the horrific deaths of those who insulted the goblins. Images if short swords and other hidden weapons emerged in his mind, luckily for him, the goblin was only reaching for a lightly bound ledger.

After marking a few delicate characters in to the book, the goblin turned to an ornate wooden cabinet and retrieved a small leather pouch. Pushing it towards Harry he turned away and continued his work muttering phrases like "Shameful wizard...destroys the vaults and steals the treasure...killed a goblin". Recognizing his dismissal Harry spun on his heel and all but fled the bank.

Emerging again into the sunlight Harry was considered the reason for his coming departure. The greater good, it meant different things to different people. To some the greater good was a safe home and quiet life, to others it was the unification of the wizarding world. To Harry it was the continuity of hope, the hunt for the great elusive thing. The thing that people spent their whole lived searching for, he saw it in the faces of shoppers, a strange desire. Forlorn glances waiting for an answer, an absolution, a reason to hope for something more.

His resolve hardening, Harry apparated to an abandoned hillside on the edge of a wood. It felt vaguely familiar, all covered in heather, perhaps he had been their before. Shaking himself from his musings on the familiarity of a heather field, Harry began to trace the ruins from the paper he had taken from the headmasters office into a series of small spherical stones.

As he worked his thoughts turned to his friends, he imagined what it would be like to say goodbye,

"So, I know we've been through a lot together, but a painting told me to travel back in time...on my own. What's that? No, you can't talk to the painting, I got angry at it and set it on fire. Well I'll be off now. I won't comeback whatever the result, on the bright side, if I'm successful, life as we know it will cease to exist. Cheerio then"

Harry snorted to himself at the reactions of his friends as he finished positioning the stones in a circle, most of the reactions resulted in his subsequent admittance to the mental institutions from muggle movies involving padded walls and white jackets.

Finally finished his work, he positioned himself in the middle of the stone circle and waved his wand.

* * *

Close by a muggle child looked up to see a brilliant flash of blue light envelop the hillside and shoot into the sky, like Chinese fireworks on New Years eve. As soon as the light came, it ended, followed by the darkening of the sky as the hillside, the heather, the small wood, and life as it was known evaporated into the great beyond.


	3. Upper-Great Hangleton and the Oddity

A/N: So, finally back in the past, I though I would intervene in 1920. Merope is 16 and Tom Riddle won't be born for 6 years, if at all. Also, Cecilia (that girl talking to Tom Riddle Sr. in the Half Blood Prince) is now his sister.

We all know this isn't mine *sob*.

* * *

Harry found himself seated, dizzy and disorientated in a pile of heather. If the runes (A/N: I know I wrote 'ruins' in earlier chapters, I apologise on his paper were to be believed he should have arrived sometime before Voldemort was due to be born, ample time to prevent the sorry event.

Brushing himself off he decided to head towards the magical community of Upper-Great Hangleton. According to his paper, Upper-Great Hangleton was destroyed during an air raid in the forties. Before this it was supposed to be a famous summer retreat for the wizards of London. Harry decided that this would become his base for his 'mission' of sorts.

Apparating into Upper-Great Hangleton Harry was met with a series of strange houses, clearly the product of magical intervention. There was a house that's garden sang as he passed it, another's grass slowly shifted colours, and several others featured garden gnomes chasing each other in what Harry could only assume to be a gnomish marathon. The center of the town had a row of small shops advertising potions, robes, and all other manners of magical necessities. It was the small real-estate agency that caught his eye.

Entering inside he found a rather short witch with a magenta robe dictating to a quill as it scribbled a series of addresses onto a long roll of parchment. Upon seeing Harry she jumped a little before introducing herself, "Hello sir, I'm Maya Turpin" Harry was suspiciously reminded of a Ravenclaw in his year, "Any properties of interest?" she said as she motioned towards a series of photos on the wall depicting small cottages with valley views. "No, actually, I was just looking for a private house, anything near Little Hangleton?" Harry asked politely. "Yes, there is one, a little bit more expensive than the ones here in town, it comes with some land as well you see. Nice house, used to belong to the Cattermoles before they moved to Montrose" Harry, feeling the woman was about to go on a tangent intervened "I'll take it". After parting with a few hundred galleons, he the witch created a portkey for him that ended up in the middle of an empty kitchen with dark wooden benches and a large fireplace.

Heading out side he collected several small stones and placed them through out the three bedroom house. He then procede to transfigure couches, tables, desks, bedding, wardrobes, and other possible useful items of furniture, all in the same dark wood as the kitchen. With a flick of his wand all the walls became a light honey colour. Hermione would be so proud, he thought at the way the dark wood contrasted pleasantly with the light, Ginny would demand more colour though. His last thoughts were still of a certain red haired witch when he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Merope Gaunt was sitting in bush. Her father and brother had gone to visit some obscure connection of dubious moral to investigate the source of a bright blue light that had been seen that morning, leaving Merope to enjoy a rare moment of freedom. Her ragged grey dress was so filthy that she blended into the surrounding brambles like a shadow as she waited for Tom to pass.

There were three types of people in Little Hangleton, the town had been divided for generations with a group of rich and a group of poor citizens. Recently however, after the return of the soldiers from the continent, the town had seen the rise of a rapidly growing middle class. Some of the elder townsfolk speculated that there were more children born in the town in the last two years than there were heads of wheat in the fields.

The affluent few lived in large manors above the village that was nestled like an egg at one end of the valley. At the heart of the town lay a small church that now served the dual purpose as a place of worship and a roost for pigeons. Following the main road past small houses and neat shop fronts, at the edge of the town there was a dirt road that branched out in two directions. The first stem led to a small graveyard, the second continued lower in to the valley, to the edge of the woods. It was along this track that the townsfolk would go riding and it was beside this path, inside the brambles that Merope Gaunt found herself on the afternoon in question.

Two laughing voices approached her location, two figures on horseback, a young man and woman, known to the town as the Riddle siblings. They lived in the largest manor, owned half the valley, and were as different to the Gaunt's as it was possible to be.

"Tom, do lets turn back now. Jane said she saw one of the Gaunts last week, said that son of theirs began hissing at her of all things"

"Hissing?"

"Yes, hissing, said he was talking to a snake as well!"

"Cecilia darling, the whole family is supposed to be mad, I wouldn't worry to much about it"

"Of course they're mad! All the more reason to leave before we see one in all their filthy glory"

The male voice began to chuckle, "Let's go then before you delicate sensibilities are assaulted by the glorious filth that is the Gaunt's son"

"It's not just his son you know" the girls voice was now quite snippy, her pride insulted by the talk of delicate sensibilities, "The daughter is odd as well, then there is the father who is the worst of the lot. Last I saw him he called Susie a dirty muggle!"

"Muggle?"

"Well, I don't know what it means but it did sound very offensive"

The male voice began to laugh as the voices faded away around a curve in the road.

Merope sat in her place mulling over what had been said. She was odd, it wasn't a difficult assumption to come to, with eyes that faced different angles and lank hair that had never been washed, she was, in her own assumption very odd. To think something and hear it aloud are two very different things and Merope was faced with the reality that she was to other eyes an oddity. The daughter in a mad family of hissing paupers. she stood abruptly if she wasn't ready with dinner she would be in trouble, the kind of trouble that resulted in bruises charmed to heal slowly.


	4. A Strange Man at the Window

A/N: Septimus Weasley is Ron's Grandfather, I couldn't find the name of his great-grandfather so I made one up, it's a play on the Latin word for freckles.

Not mine...

* * *

Harry had spent the past week acquainting himself with his new home. he devoted an entire day to transforming his lounge room into a very Hermione-ish area. Books from the beaded bag were sorted into transfigured shelves along the walls creating a colourful montage of dyed leather. One of the spare bedrooms became a potions lab, though he doubted it would ever be used. The other rooms were significantly easier to unpack although his favourite moment had been the rediscovery of Phineas Nigellus, the ever kind Phineas was outraged to find he could not leave his frame. Harry managed to subdue the bearded Black with a silencing charm before positioning it above the fireplace in the kitchen.

He had also looked into the land he know owned, a decently sized wood surrounded his house with the towering trees reminding him a little of the Forest of Dean from his tent days. The cool pattern of shadows and leaves upon the ground provided an excellent place for walking.

Harry had also begun to inter-great himself with the magical community of Upper-Great Hangleton. He joined a dueling club. On his first visit he found a large stone platform on the edge of town surrounded by wizards and witches. Upon the platform at either end stood a tall man with Weasly-esq features and a shorter, balding man with long wisps of hair falling from his ears. They looked at each other rather seriously before taking position, what followed can only be described as one of the most boring duels ever to be watched by Harry James Potter. It started with jinxes and shield charms, and ended the same way. _Even Dudley was capable of dueling better than this, _Harry thought.

A portly man with a ruddy face climbed the smooth grey steps onto the platform and announced Primus Weasley, the red haired man, the winner. "Any challengers? Come on lads, there's got to be at least one!", at these words a nine year old began to jump up and down "me! me! me! Oh please mummy let me duel Primus". This outburst elicited many laughs from the crowd and the man on stage chuckled as he told the young Sixtus to wait a few years before he could duel his elder brother. With no challengers forthcoming the congregation began to disperse in twos and threes all chatting animatedly to each other. Harry found himself left alone with a group of Weasleys.

"Hey there Sexy" (A/N: I have a very bad sense of humor , I bet you'll become a fantastic dueler one day, I reckon it was rigged so you couldn't make me look too bad", at these words the little Sixtus' previously tearful face broke into a huge grin, "Really Primus?". Harry was slightly confused, he could have sworn the duel had been amateurish at best, he resolved to reserve his opinion for later. It was a good decision for at that moment he was approached by one of the other Weasley children, a young boy of about five, "Are you a dueler too?" a little stunned by how Ron like the child looked, almost an exact clone, Harry was slow to answer. While he coped with his shock the dueler, Primus, the would-be dueler, Sixtus, and two older people that Harry rightly guessed to be the current Mr. and Mrs. Weasley drifted over.

"Hello there, haven't seen you around before, I'm Lentinem Weasley, this is my wife Formostina, and these are my sons, Primus, Sixtus, and Septimus"

" Harry, Harry P..." Harry cursed inside his head for not having thought of a suitable last name.

"P?" Primus asked.

"P, it's short for Prince" Harry sincerely hoped he would never meet the real Prince family.

"I haven't heard of your family before, we mustn't be related then" Lentinem chuckled lightly at his own joke.

"No, I don't suppose we are", Harry wondered if Snape's mother's family was obscure at this point in history.

"Well then" Formostina spoke up, "Shall we continue this inside somewhere, Seppy is getting restless, she motioned to the child who during the short introduction had managed to curl unnoticed around his mothers legs. The group turned towards town and proceeded to have lunch in The Spotted Doxy.

* * *

It was late afternoon that Harry found himself strolling along the five mile road between Upper-Great Hangleton and Little Hangleton. He had enjoyed lunch with the Weasleys immensely and was interested to learn that there were four more children at Hogwarts, they had just gone back after the Christmas holidays and wouldn't be home again till the end of the year. The Weasleys were just as kind as their descendants in Harry's time had been and he hoped that they would become friends.

He was also pleased to learn that the mornings duel had been a demonstration for the younger kids, there were advanced duels on the first Saturday of every month, Primus told Harry that as a new comer he would be expected to duel someone on his first night, something Harry looked forward to with great anticipation.

While he walked he almost missed an oddly dressed and very familiar man in a frock-coat and spats over a striped one-piece bathing costume run into a carriage that had just come around the corner.

Casting a disillusionment charm on himself Harry jumped to the side of the road as the carriage passed him with a young man and woman inside. Creeping along the road he came to the spot Bob Ogden, for that was the oddly dressed wizards name, had run from and saw a gap in the hedges bordering the road. Following the uneven path he saw a small copse of dark trees, that roots twisted in grotesque shapes and cast sinister shadows in the dying sunlight. In the middle of the trees he saw an old shack surrounded by nettles and mossy walls, with crumbling tiles and a dead snake nailed to the door. He walked round to the side of the building and peered in one of the open windows.

* * *

Today was a bad day for Merope. In the morning her brother, Morfin, had caught her peeking through the hedge as Tom and Cecilia passed on their morning ride.

"She's watching filthy muggles wander little snakey, best go bite her, make her jump", The adder in his hands looked towards the girl that had often summoned small rodents for it during the night when Morfin had prevented it from hunting. The snake didn't really want to bite the girl so it hissed a suggestion that would be more appealing to the sadistic wizard.

"Why bite the girl? The muggless are much more tassty. Don't you want to hurt the filthss that pollute the valley?"

"Snakey is smart today. Yes, lets give the muggle itches, maybe even see him scream" with a wicked smirk Morfin silently left and his serpentine companion could only hope that the girl would manage to avoid her brothers wild fury.

Merope was not so lucky, after returning home and continuing her daily routine of avoiding her father, the family received an unexpected and unwanted visitor.

Some Ministry official had come with a summons for Morfin after he had apparently attacked Tom that morning. The conversation went from bad to worse when the Riddle siblings had ridden past causing Morfin to crack a gap-toothed yellow smile and tell their father, Marvolo about her infatuation with Tom. Her father had turned from the officer, and attempted to strangle her with his dirty hands that were known to snap the necks of chickens. Intervention from the Ministry wizard who was subsequently chased from the house at wand and knife point by Morfin had made him spitting mad.

Marvolo now paced in front of Merope's crouched figure, his long arms clenched into tight fists.

"You are the blood of Slytherin!", he kicked her sharply in the ribs. "Granted you are almost a dirty squib", kick, "But you are pure-blooded", kick, kick, "How dare you", kick, "Staring all misty eyed like common filth", kick. Whatever her father was about to say next was cut off by a flash of red light through the open window.

Merope froze shock, her silent tears continued to cut through the layer of grime on her cheeks. "Incarcerous", this time she heard the voice casting the spells and lifted her head to look towards the window where she saw the faint outline of a man.

The man silently levitated her father onto a chair before Morfin burst back into the hut still unaware of the man at the window and was hit with a silent stunner that knocked him over before he could say "oh".

* * *

Having just disposed of Morfin, Harry felt it prudent to introduce himself to Merope who was yet to stand up from her position on the floor. Removing the disillusionment charm he walked in through the rotting wooden door of the hut.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked in parsletongue, he assumed she would be more likely to trust him if he spoke the language of the snakes. Disregarding his question the now sitting Merope responded "You speak it?". "You could say we are distant relatives" Harry thought thinking of the Peverell ring and the other hallows. Merope seemed to accept this response as she attempted to stand up whilst wincing in obvious pain; Harry suspected she had a broken rib and fixed it with a quick episkey. Not sure about how to continue Harry decided to opt for the straight-forward approach, "Merope Gaunt" she looked surprised at his use of her first name, "Seeing as we are family, would you like to leave this place? I've always wanted a sister". The poor girls mouth dropped into a perfect circle and Harry considered how strange it would be for an unknown man to have walked into his house as a child, incapacitated the Dursleys and offered him an escape, _oh wait, that did happen, must be a common thing in the magical world...or just around me. _Meanwhile Merope just nodded mutely before rushing around the shack collecting small personal items, a teapot, an old book and a frayed blue ribbon. "Ready" he asked. Merope just nodded and extended her free arm to Harry which he took, and, after burning a notice onto the door of the hut for the Ministry Wizards he new would return for the remaining Gaunts, apparated away.

* * *

A/N: These chapters are getting a bit longer, hope you enjoyed it!


	5. What is a Shower?

A/N: I think the story is starting to take a definitive shape now.

Not mine, 'nuff said. Enjoy!

* * *

Bob Ogden was not having a good day. After being chased from the Gaunt shack and hit by a carriage he had returned during the night with a small deployment of hit wizards to take the father and son into custody. Unfortunately, the poor girl was no where to be found, Bob only hoped the crazed father hadn't murdered the girl. The fact that both Marvolo and Morfin had been discovered bound and stunned by the wizards supported the idea that the girl had escaped but an uneasy feeling remained, as if something wasn't quite right.

* * *

In contrast, in the house of Harry Potter now known as Prince, an overjoyed Merope gaunt was gazing around the living room with a dazed expression. The sight of so much clean space coupled with books had a dazzling effect on her mind, her new found 'brother' had only laughed at her astonishment before showing her around the house. After eating a quick dinner Merope had found herself rather full and sleepy had drifted off to sleep in a bed of her very own.

* * *

_It was all a dream, it wasn't real, I'm going to wake up to find myself back at home. _Merope cracked one eyelid open and saw sunlight streaming in, _There the sun is already shining through the hole in the roof, my father is going to be furious I slept in so long._ On sitting up, she was struck by the not-Gauntness of the room she was in, light coloured walls and a dark wardrobe with a matching desk quickly removed any idea she had entertained of this being a dream. Sliding out of the bed she quietly tip-toed to her door and peered out to see the beautiful book room, though she couldn't read, her mother had been able to and Merope's very few happy memories involved listening to stories of Babbity Rabbity, and the Fountain of Fair Fortune.

Nothing could have prepared her for the smell that wafted towards her from the kitchen, never in her memories could she remember that smell, it was more powerful than a compulsion charm and she found her feet moving across the polished wooden floor towards the kitchen.

Inside she saw her newly adopted brother heaping piles of golden eggs, brown toast and crisp bacon onto plates. Seeing her, he stopped his work "Morning, I didn't think you'd get to many nice breakfasts where you were from so I thought I'd make one for you".

Now it is common knowledge to never look a gift horse in the mouth, the same way all people know 'you don't get something for nothing', at this point Merope was struggling to produce a theory why a strange man would burst in bind her family and now make her breakfast, it simply did not make sense. So, forgoing the first word of colloquial wisdom she decided to find her new 'brothers' motive, caught in her thoughts she spoke, "Why?". It was a loaded question if ever there was one, why save her? What was the ulterior motive? Why did he wait so long to save her? How long had he know about her? All questions needed answering, fast.

The face in front of her appeared pensive for a moment before asking her if she would like to discuss it over breakfast. Her traitorous tummy agreed and she found herself seated on an outdoor stone patio surrounded by foxgloves, lavender, and the sound of bees humming contentedly between the flowers. After a pause her host spoke in English rather than parsletongue as he had before,

"I think I'll make this very easy and tell you the whole story, you can ask questions when I'm done, is that agreeable?"

Merope nodded her matted hair fell in front of her eye as she did so and she quickly brushed it away.

"Alright then, my name is Harry Prince, I grew up as an only child with my mother who was a witch. She was wonderful the greatest cook you can imagine" Merope doubted this as she took her first bite of egg "I was privately tutored as I grew up, my mother thought we were the last descendants of the Peverell's, after some research I discovered your family. Sadly, my mother didn't live to help me track you down, she was very old when she had me, and by this time she was even older she passed away in the year '19 at the ripe old age of 98. Once I eventually found you I moved into the area, it was quite spontaneous really. After asking around I found out where you lived and went to pay a visit, that is when I saw your father kicking you, well I acted on instinct and stunned him. when what I can only assume was your brother marched in carrying a bloody knife and a wand, I gave him the same treatment. You know what happened after that, and now we are here. If you like after breakfast, I recommend you have a shower and then we'll see about getting you some new clothes. Any questions?"

Throughout the explanation Merope had sat silently, the story didn't sound too suspicious, a bit impulsive maybe but it did explain how he knew her, why he claimed they were related, and even why he had helped her. Merlin only knew how lonely it must have been for him to be alone as a child had the situations been reversed she probably would have done something similar. "One question, what is a shower?".

* * *

Harry had opted for a semi plausible story. A lonely childhood, dead mother, and absent father provided the right amount of obscurity and believable-ness to avoid suspicion, the truth was simply too dangerous to be spoken.

After instructing his new sister in the magic that was a shower, and introducing her to comrades shampoo, conditioner, and soap, Harry had retrieved two robes. He highly doubted Merope would appreciate being stared at for her odder-than-usual attire, so he had selected the sole female robe from the entire collection, the one Hermione had worn to Bill and Fleur's wedding and had seated himself on the lounge suit with a copy of The Tales of Beadle The Bard to wait for Merope.

* * *

Shower's were amazing. It was an easy conclusion for Merope to reach. after years of using an old rag as her own 'shower', the steady stream of hot water was nothing short of heavenly. At her old home her father and brother refused even to use a rag.

The soap removed the years of accumulated dirt and grime leaving her skin pale and soft. The shampoo had transformed her hair from its usual muddy shade to a light brown. But it was the conditioner that she loved the most. That sweet smelling manna from heaven had make her hair silky and put a natural wave in it that certainly hadn't been their before. Upon inspecting herself in the mirror she came to the conclusion that despite her two lazy eyes and her squarish jaw, the Merope that blinked back at her through the steamy mirror was not the same daughter of a hissing pauper. The new Merope, was different, she was free, and she felt for the first time in her life, truly beautiful.

After donning her ragged dress she exited the bathroom into the room of books. Foregoing the fact that she couldn't read, most of Merope's only joyful memories were centered around them. Her mother had read stories like Babbity Rabbity, and The Fountain of Fair Fortune to her. Even after her mother died, Merope had looked at the small illustrations in the books fantasizing about castles, dragons and mysterious water that promised good luck, the book had been burnt during a particularly cold winter after all the branches from trees were spent, they'd burnt her book and mothers chair.

Looking down towards the sofa, she saw two robes next to Harry who was so immersed in his book that he hadn't yet noticed her presence. One was a dark green, the other a gentle lillac. Unless her brother was hiding something she assumed the lillac one was to be hers. It was a correct assumption as Harry put down his book and passed it to her. He then asked her if she was familiar with floo travel, a short "yes" and she was guided to the kitchen and told to go to The Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

After stepping out of the main fireplace in The Leaky Cauldron, Harry was amazed to find the usually shabby pub clean. With polished bench-tops and sparkling floors, the place looked nothing like the place he remembered. Brightly robed witches and wizards milled about laughing with each other and a trio of drunk warlocks sat in a corner singing about a dancing house-elf. In the middle of all the people stood a mesmerized Merope whose robes fell just short of her bare feet and wriggling toes as she looked around at all the smiling faces.

Having managed to coax her out of the pub, Harry led his sister down into the alley. The bright store displays shone invitingly at passing shoppers, and Harry feared Merope would break her neck as she attempted to look in every direction at once.

When they finally entered Mme. Malkins Harry instructed her to buy as many out fits as she needed, he claimed he owed her sixteen birthdays worth of presents. Merope, not knowing what a birthday was simply nodded as Harry said he would just have to step outside for a moment.

In reality he was going first to Eeylops Owl Emporium where he bought a large barn owl. And then to Twilfitt and Tatting's who unlike Mme. Malkin, also dealt in auto-sizing shoes. Here he bought a pair of all the _Latest, _and the most practical shoes.

Returning to Merope he found her seated on a stool as Madam Malkin collected her order. Harry wasn't sure whether he was concerned or pleased that Merope had chosen to include several muggle outfits into the selection. On one hand it showed good forethought should they ever travel into muggle areas, on the other it showed that she intended to. Regrettably the closest muggle dwelling to Harry's house contained one young Mr. Tom Riddle.

As Harry allowed himself to be lead away by Merope his mind was only half focused on her child like joy as she inspected different stores filled with collapse-able cauldrons and chocolate frogs. His main thoughts were occupied with images of failure and tiny, nose-less dark lords.


	6. A Stranger in Town

Merope had be wandered through the books in Flourish and Blott's that afternoon for hours. Her fingertips would run over the smooth spines before selecting one a looking for pictures. Her favourite had been a book of potions. The intricate drawing showed each ingredient and the effects the concoctions would have upon the drinker. She didn't need to read to understand the book, Harry had promised he would teach her as well as other types of magic, the kind they taught at Hogwarts.

What she hadn't counted on was just how difficult reading was. The practical side of magic was easy. When she had lived with her father and brother she could barely perform a simple summoning charm, now she could perform most spells she attempted.

She was happy. On the first evening Harry went to his advanced dueling session. Merope decided to visit Little Hangleton. Though Harry had never expressed any anti-muggle ideas, indeed he seemed to be quite accepting during her lessons. She still wanted her first visit to the town as a free person to be on her own.

So, after Harry apparated away she began her walk into town.

* * *

Tom knew everyone in the town. No one ever left. The families in Little Hangleton had been there as far back as anyone could remember. So it was with no small amount of surprise that he noticed a new face in town. Wearing a long coat the girl seemed entranced by every little thing around her. She seemed to inhale the smells of the bakery like a sprite from legend entranced by ordinary things.

The girl had eyes that pointed away from each other and on their own were quite frightening. But her smiles to the children that raced hoops down the cobblestone footpaths were a sight to behold.

Ever the charmer, Tom decided to introduce himself to the stranger. By pretending to examine the same shop window as the girl he found his chance.

"Oh hello there. I'm Tom, you must be new to town"

Merope stared in shock.

Confidence rattled Tom began a strategic social retreat, "I'm sorry to startle you, erm, I'll just be-"

Whatever it was Tom had planned on escaping to do he was cut off by the girl, "I'm Merope Prince, my brother and I live halfway between here and Great Hangleton. I have never visited this town before so I came to look around"

"I didn't know there were many houses on the road between the towns?"

"Oh, it isn't quite on the road, it has it's own little lane I guess you could call it"

"I see, would you like a tour round town?" Tom thought he was pushing his luck with the girl but curiosity had always been weakness of his.

"Alright then, where should we start?" Merope was counting her lucky stars, and maybe a few of someone else's at the way her afternoon was becoming. She took Tom's offered arm, and they began their walk through town.

* * *

Harry apparated back to the stone platform at the time that Primus had told him the advanced dueling classes began only to find a strange young witch addressing the crowd standing next to none other than a younger Albus Dumbledore.

The witch had heavy eyebrows and an oval face, she was dressed in what looked to be a set of thick black robes that on closer inspection were revealed to be dragon hide.

"As you all know" she began, "Grindelwald has been put on high alert on the continent for his association with a small time German politician preaching potentially dangerous messages to the muggle and magical communities. At this stage most people view this muggle with little more than passing curiosity, however, anti-semetic behavior has already lead to a small stream of my fellow Jewish com-padres to leave areas in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Poland. The revolutionaries in Russia are also seeing the support of Grindlewald who appears to be using Bulgaria as a base for his political games. Whilst there is no real threat at this stage it would be foolish for you all to be unaware of the situation and unprepared should it escalate to Britain"

Dumbledore looked at the assortment of witches and wizards before taking over from the witch, "As Alicia has said, there are signs of trouble brewing again on the continent, we do not think anything major will come to pass as Grindlewald is yet to achieve any major support, however as Miss. Goldmann has outlined it is important that we keep up to date with information and up to scratch with our dueling. For today I think after our newest member has his initiation duel, we will split into teams to duel, the last team standing will be the winner"

All heads turned towards Harry expectantly. "Are there any volunteer's to duel ?".

"I'll do it" The witch now known as Alicia said calmly.

"Now Alicia, we don't want it to be over too quickly, can you remember that?" Dumbledore was met with an indignant harrumph as harry and the witch took their positions on the platform.

A short bow to each other before Dumbledore gave a nod of ascent.

Both moved at the same time. Alicia sent a quick impedimenta followed by a reducto at Harry who dodged the impedimenta and used a protego to reflect the reductor back. This he quickly followed with three silent stunners and a levicorpus.

As he suspected the red light of the stunners were easy for the witch to dodge with two going wide either side and one passing over her head. It was the invisible levicorpus that caught her off guard and wrenched her into the air.

What Harry hadn't expected was the now upside down witch to begin throwing a series of rapid cutting hexes whilst upside down. Conjuring a Silver shield Harry dogged them easily before summoning the witch herself who began to fly upside down dangling a foot above the platform towards Harry who stepped out of the way at the last minute grabbing her wand and releasing the spells as she flipped head over heels onto the grass.

The small congregation, which had been silent the entire time, filled the chilly March air with applause. The grassy witch, in an attempt to maintain her dignity stood up, ignoring the clover in her hair, remounted the stone steps to bow to Harry and demand her wand back.

A rather bemused Harry willingly obliged as Dumbledore sorted the rest of the group into two teams, to Harry and Alicia, he placed inn opposing teams.

* * *

After spending all afternoon with Tom Riddle, Merope was about to set off home when Tom offered her his carriage. As they travelled the winding road that went past the previously inhabited Gaunt shack, Tom took great pleasure in describing the mad family that lived there, oblivious to Merope's stiffening posture he described the mad filthy family.

"have you ever met them?" Merope inquired pointedly.

"No, but I've seen the father and the brother, they're nasty pieces of work"

"That poor girl. could you imagine being trapped with those people as your only family?"

In all honesty Tom had never considered that any of the Gaunt's were dissatisfied with their wretched existence, the new perspective shocked him.

* * *

It was rather late in the evening by the time that a small carriage pulled into the small cottage inhabited by the "Prince" siblings. After spending the remaining part of the trip discussing the possible lifestyle of the Gaunt family Merope was reluctant to say goodbye. Unfortunately for her she was spared having to by the appearance of Harry and two unfamiliar people all dressed in robes walking around from the patio. Quick thinking on Merope's part allowed her to spin Tom towards a lavender bush, remarking on a jam she was experimenting that involved the flowers, thus giving Harry enough time to usher his own guests back around the side of the house until Merope bade Tom goodnight before turning towards the patio that was now lit by softly glowing lanterns that emitted warming charms, and going to greet the newcomers.

A/N: This chapter was rather difficult to write and felt quit stilted in comparison to the earlier chapters. I hope you enjoyed it regardless!


	7. Of Smugglers and Crickets

A/N: Another day, another chapter. It's not mine, enjoy!

* * *

Merope felt like she was floating on cloud nine while Tom had been there. The sound of the cicadas and crickets buzzed lightly in the chilly March air as she rounded the side of the house to see Harry sitting in the warming glow of the patio with his guests. One was a rather tall, red haired young wizard, while the other was a young woman with a pale face and thick eyebrows who's features were creased into a frown.

"Why is a chicken crossing a road funny? Primus, I just can't find the humor in that" The young witch finally said.

"That's not the point Ali, it's hilarious, it's a chicken and a road!"

Both Harry and the one named 'Ali' stared blankly at the red head 'Primus' as he chuckled into his butter beer. The duo immediately redirected their attention to Merope as they noticed her presence.

* * *

Alicia had gone to the house of the new dueling member, Harry, intent on getting him to join a little side project of hers. What she hadn't counted on was an exuberant Weasley and a shy sister to be present.

Weasley she had known for quite a while. A likable person, quick to laugh and easy to talk to, he was also a fair duelist though he had never bested her yet. This was one of the reasons it was Harry and not Weasley she was approaching with her project. This Harry had not only beaten her, but done it with ease, the entire duel lasted less than a minute. She did persuade herself that had she known that he would be good she would have fought harder. Her dignity was still smarting slightly, but she pushed this aside on favor of her goal only to be distracted by talk of chickens.

The entrance of Harry's sister was also a distraction, the girl was still blushing in the lantern light after fare-welling her muggle friend and Alicia paid close attention to the manner of the girl. She had subtly positioned herself slightly behind Harry like a human barrier between her private existence and the scrutiny of herself and Primus. Harry seemingly conscious of this move, made a slight adjustment to the angle he was seated at to include Merope against her will.

The quite power plays between the siblings was amusing to watch and provided a new idea to Alicia of the potentially-beneficial-to-her-project variety. It would be one thing to get Harry to agree, another to include Merope, and a true challenge to prevent Primus from putting his foot in everything. There was always the option of returning at a later date to push her agenda but that could take a while and time was far to valuable to waste.

* * *

Primus considered himself to have a friendly personality, so after Harry's sister was seated he quickly shook her hand.

"The name's Primus, Primus Weasley. The awesomest person you'll ever meet, and guaranteed to keep your pesky brother in line." As expected, Ali was not about to be outdone, "Don't mind him, a bit mad really, his family palms him off to a different relative every day to prevent having to spend actual time with him. I'm Alicia but you can call me Ali".

"Guys" Harry began, Ali made a noise in her throat,

"Primus and Ali" he restated, " may I present to you my sister, Merope".

Primus thought this fact was obvious considering Harry had already mentioned his sister before she came home but was unwilling to point this out to his bespectacled friend. Primus found steady conversation that continued throughout the night rather enjoyable as he leaned more about the conversational skills of the siblings, Harry was by far the more confidant of the two, whilst Merope carried an endearing perspective to their various topics of conversation and as girls of very few words generally are, those that she spoke were sufficiently insightful contributions to the discussion.

* * *

Harry noticed it was getting later in the evening when the conversation began to turn quiet serious, he felt obliged to steer it into lighter area's until Ali gave her two cents on the tensions in Europe,

"As you and Primus already know, the situation on the continent is precarious for Jewish people. Whilst we have always faced some animosity it is beginning to become more and more frequent. In Russia there are Pogroms, massacres, being carried out as a result of this."She paused before continuing, "Jewish people are being attacked and beaten in other countries as well, many are having difficulties in leaving their countries." Merope became green at the thought of beatings. "A little side project of mine involves the relocation of such people. I use volunteering Wizards and Witches to guide the Jewish Muggles safely out of Europe where they are taken up by Aliyah programs and are given the choice to move to either Kibbutzim in Palestine, or, the chance to emigrate to America, Australia of Canada."

"Alicia, are you proposing what I think you are proposing?" Harry asked.

"I might be, what I am asking is whether or not you and Merope would like to guide groups. I had originally thought to only offer the job to you, but if both of you were to go, one could pose as a refugee whilst the other was the group leader. This would give you a voice inside the dealings of people being smuggled, and an advantage when guiding the group, of course this invitation extends to you too Primus." Alicia took a long pause in which the other three looked at her silently, the sound of crickets was significantly off putting so she decided to invoke a response, any response.

"So, will you consider joining the smugglers?"


	8. Preventative Measures & the Unexpected

A/N: I didn't mention this in the last chapter but the character Alicia is based of the real person Alicia, she wrote a biography "My Story" and it is well worth a looksie.

Not mine, despite how much I wish it could be.

* * *

Harry had spent the better part of the last week contemplating Alicia's proposition. In between Merope's lessons she had taken to visiting Tom in the village, Harry was exceptionally disturbed by this and had attempted to persuade her against seeing him only to realize that aside from admitting to be from a future in which Merope's as-of-yet-unborn-son murdered his parents and launched two successive wars, he had no valid arguments.

He had spent his spare time visiting Primus and the other Weasleys who had no reservations regarding the proposal and were already packing for an estimated departure at the end of next week. This effectively meant that Harry had 6 days to decide whether or not to stay or go resulting in indecision.

As Harry was sitting on the patio, basking in the glow of the afternoon sun, he strongly considered hiring an accountant. To the best of his experience in the muggle world accountants were paid to make important decisions often resulting in financial loss. It seemed to be the perfect option, sans the financial loss.

A person to make his decisions. Harry envisioned himself sitting in an office surrounded by busy clerks running back and forth with towering stacks of paper that threatened to overbalance them, each sheet filled with questions that needed answering. Midst the chaos he would stand on his large desk and call an accountant to fill out all the sheets, this would give rise to a spontaneous burst of co-ordinated singing and dancing. Harry feared that this decision was destroying his already fragile sanity.

* * *

Merope was alive. In between learning the finer points of theoretical transfiguration and the properties of different potions ingredients, she spent every spare minute in town.

She would walk the road bordered by hedgerows and dogwood blooms on her way into town everyday to buy groceries. She would meet Tom at the bakers and they would then find a quite place to sit and talk as they munched on hot raisin breads and tea cakes. Their favorite spot was next to one of the small rivers that flowed past Little Hangleton and further into the valley, past the Gaunt shack in the woods and on to Great Hangleton and, unbeknownst to Tom, Upper-Great Hangleton.

They would chat about every topic from politics to gardening, discussing the weight gain of Winston Churchill and the unusual number of cats and 'muggle' garden gnomes owned by Mrs. Davidson-James.

After their morning discussions, Tom would take two of his horses and the pair would ride back to the house Merope and Harry shared, in time for lunch and her afternoon lessons.

Little did they know that the days Tom had stayed for lunch were reaping severe psychological trauma upon Harry. The breaking point to Harry's patience came on the final day before his decision to join the smugglers had to be made. Merope had initially made it quite clear that she wanted to assist in the operation, she had unofficially wished that her brother reject the idea so that she could stay with Tom.

What Merope hadn't counted on was a confused Harry flying his broom across the tops of the wood surrounding the property to clear his head on that one fateful Friday.

* * *

Harry had now had two consecutive weeks of watching Merope become closer and closer to Tom Riddle. This was un-anticipated to say the least, it was as if fate was hell bent on the existence of a little Tom. By removing Merope from the Gaunt shack while her father and brother spent a year in Azkaban Harry had hoped to steer her away from a certain young muggle, and to impress upon her the severity of the use of potions on people. He had watched these plans fall apart as Tom and Merope begun to get along, causing him great confusion.

A proven remedy for confusion within the magical community is to fly. So, Harry retrieved a nondescript broom from the beaded bag (Hermione had added several after Harry lost his fire bolt in the escape from privet drive) an began to fly over the undulating waves of the topmost leaves of the wood. Occasionally he would dive in twists and turns between the trees before rising above the sea of green. It was while Harry was drifting across the lane that led to the house that he spied Merope and Tom walking hand in hand. Mastering the re-emergence of his anger at the fates for making his life difficult he cast a quick disillusionment on himself before either land bound person could notice. Evidently they did not see Harry for they began to, as far as Harry could see from a distance, be kissing.

Harry almost fell of his broom so unexpected was this turn of events, that he made a rash decision without the aid of an accountant. For the sake of puting a stop to whatever was occurring between Merope and Tom Harry chose to accept the smuggling job, praying that the distance would prevent the advancement of any potential relationship between his sister and Tom Riddle.

With that Harry turned his broom back towards the house, he had now only one evening in which to repack the essentials into the beaded bag.


	9. The Austrian Affair Pt1

A/N: Longer gaps between updates now, it's the crappy end of term and I've been attempting to have a life (It's not really working). Situation explained.

The lovely JKR has not given me the Harry Potter world yet but I hope you enjoy my version of it.

* * *

Alicia loved Germany. She was born in a small house on the edge of Coburg, her earliest memories were of visiting the Ehrenburg Palace with her mother. Her mother had always told her about the importance of muggles in history. She had explained the ways in which the wizarding communities attempted to draw lines of demarcation between themselves and their non-magical counterparts.

It had been three years since she had left her city. After her parents imprisonment for treason (treason against what neither her or her lawyers could discover, although Alicia strongly suspected that her parents status as Muggleborn-Jews was significantly relevant) they had wasted away in prison and both died after contracting pneumonia.

The smart thing to do would have been to return to her quiet lifestyle after the seven days of Shiva. Alicia was not so practical, instead she had climbed the steps to the large courthouse, lawyers in tow, and had attempted to sue the government. Suffice to say that being chased out of her home with threats of violence for not only challenging the government but also for being Jewish had carried a bitter aftertaste.

That was why, she now stood beside the stone dueling platform of Upper-Great Hangleton awaiting Harry, Merope, and Primus. There were other people in similar situations to herself Jews and Muggleborns alike, that had no way to escape the area. Whilst most ordinary muggleborn wizards would have taken a portkey out of the country, this generally involved abandoning their families as non-magical folk did not have the resilience to have their bodies sucked into a vacuum and then reassembled at the other end.

So the idea of smuggling people across the borders into France had been conceived. Led by a witch or wizard, magic would be used to ensure safe passage for large groups of people. So far very few people had volunteered to become smugglers, danger, other commitments etc. were the often cited excuses, all equally unbelievable. This was a bad thing as only a small group of the most skilled people were chosen only to have the vast majority refuse to assist; until she had found Harry.

It was a godsend to find another person who fit the bill for a smuggler, the inclusion of Merope and Primus was not too high a price as long as each of them were teamed together to make up for a lack of respective, experience and subtlety.

Harry and his sister arrived in the morning shortly followed by Primus. They didn't speak much, Merope had a sad look in her eyes, Harry looked strained, and Primus was attempting to control his excitement; failing miserably.

"Do we get code names? Are we going to work in teams? Can I be called The Red Weasel or Commander Blue! (A/N: Blue is an old nickname for someone with red hair in AUS. I'm not sure how it is elsewhere so I thought I'd explain it)"

Merope gave Alicia a small smile, "If we do teams can I go with Primus, I'd rather not work with Harry"

Alicia couldn't help but allow herself a little smile, this proposition suited her, Primus and Merope would balance each other leaving Harry and her to lead a group on their own respectively. This operation might just prove a success.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore had loved one person in his life, Gellert Grindelwald.

He regretted it. He had been filled with ideas of a pure society where magic could be used openly. Gellert had suggested that since muggles were so intolerant they should be placed beneath wizards. An anti-Marxist method, rather than equalizing classed, they would institute them.

It had taken the death of Albus' sister for him to realize the hamartia of their plan. To place wizards above muggles in such away would make them the intolerant group, the oppressors, all the things they disliked in muggles.

When Gellert had left, Albus took up teaching, tricking himself into believing his friend had grown up. He had been wrong, subtle support during the Bolshevik uprisings, placing his own wizards within the Kremlin, he had created influential support for himself and was yet to act but the growing correspondence between himself and the young leader of the National Socialist party in Germany was enough to make one Dumbledore very concerned.

* * *

Merope loved smuggling. It wasn't something she thought she'd enjoy. Guiding people across boarders seemed so boring when she had been in England; a mundane task that would take her away from Tom. But after a few weeks of passing through beautiful cities, visiting muggle dance clubs during her switch overs, and meeting interesting refugees felt like a dream come true.

She still sent letters to Tom, once a week, Little Hangleton was the same as it had always been, but something in the Universe seemed to be different. The world was no longer filled with Fathers and Uncles, it had an intangible zing in it, although that could have been from the cookies she had picked up in Amsterdam.

She had cut her hair short in a muggle style called a flooper, flupper, she couldn't remember. This day was special, today they were in Vienna to escort a minor nobleman, a son of a squib and a Jewish woman. Primus had told her, the man's mother had "disappeared" when his father realized she was Jewish. She was to stand guard in the lobby of a big hotel whilst Harry and Alicia assumed the polyjuiced forms of the Viennese man and his wife, after which they would leave to go to the theatre whilst Primus would lead the real couple, now stocked with potions, down to meet her from where they would leave to catch a train out of the country and on to Paris. Alicia and Harry would "vanish" after the play and by the time the alarm was sounded the couple would be safe...That was the plan anyway.

* * *

A/N: I split this chapter into two, I thought it would flow better.

On a happier note, the year is reaching it's halfway point and this writing has really improved my typing speed! (Small things amuse small minds).


	10. The Austrian Affair Pt 2

A/N: Hello all, Happy mid-Year Holiday! And a Merry Mid Winter to all!

* * *

Werner Ziegtman Jr hated his father.

Werner Ziegtman Sr was disgusted by his son.

A long time believer in purity Werner Sr had been taught two things by his father, there were two things worse than squibs, muggles, and Jews. From his early childhood WZ Sr had been treated worse than his family, a squib, disgusting, shameful and more, he had clung to the knowledge that there were some worse than he. He had married a beautiful wife, witnessed the sudden and shocking murder of his twot's elder brothers at the hands of Viennese mobsters, and then filled said mobsters pockets with leprechaun gold from Ireland.

The stupid muggles would blame each other before they suspected the truth of their vanishing money.

His life had been charmed, literally, until his darling wife, Anna, had revealed her true nature. For so long she had believed her to be the light of his life, a squib like himself, they had shared everything. They had a lot to share. Until she had shared one secret too many. His darling wife was Jewish, his golden son was not only not magical, but also part Jewish. WZ Sr did not care for his wife's disappointment at his beliefs, nor did he blink when a group of mobsters caught her in a dark alley.

His son was another matter.

Clever and cunning, he had yet to be caught alone and vulnerable. Until today.

WZ Sr had been quite shocked that his son had accepted the theater tickets at all. The boy had suspected foul play of the fatherly kind in his mothers death and had avoided his father for months. It was odd that he was willing to meet at all, Wz Sr was not, however, a man to pass by an opportunity, the opportunity to remove his half-cast son and blood-traitor wife.

* * *

Primus Weasley was on edge. All previous missions had been executed with precision, none of the refugees had been wanted or in immediate danger, most were simply sick of poor treatment and wished to leave. Most wanted to go to the promised land.

The land that the people spoke of lay to the east, they intended to settle in farms and live happily ever after, it seemed to good to be true. Who was Primus to judge?

his role tonight was to join Merope in leading a prominent couple out of the country, what could go wrong?

* * *

**6:00pm**

Harry and Alicia, stared at the gilded mirror of the hotel room. The intricate patterns of flowers and animals framing their faces as their skin bubbled and warped leaving a tall man with sandy blond hair standing next to a woman with long brown hair that reached her waist. both were wearing muggle drees clothes, long coats, and, in the case of the case of the man a strangely effeminate beaded bag.

Beside the stood the son of a squib and his non-magical wife, who now looked like their original form. Primus took a nod from Harry to guide the two muggles, down a hall with glass tables, porcelain vases and dried flowers, Primus thought it looked like his cousin Muriel's house. It was best not to think of Muriel's house, Primus had recently eaten.

* * *

**6:30pm **

Primus and Merope stood at the corner of the street, casting long shadows in the light of a lamp post. For the last twenty minutes they had appeared to be in deep conversation with two other street go-ers, their companions of sorts. Primus lent over an kissed Merope on the cheek, a harmless action, the two were dressed to match. Their 'friends' stood uneasily in the shadows, and a light far above them in the hotel went out; it's occupants on the move.

* * *

**6:45pm**

Harry and Alicia had seen the signal on the street and had made their way down the many levels of the hotel. Each carried, a strange pipe that emitted no smoke despite the sipping, sucking actions of the pair.

Exiting the revolving door of the Hotel they stepped into a waiting car; complimentary to the gold-class visitors at the hotel.

As the car sped off down the street another taxi followed, unnoticed by all.

* * *

**10:00pm**

Yannick and Moritz liked money. They liked money, fast cars, women, and snow. But mostly snow, neither man went a day without any. Tonight's job was to be paid in a combination of money and snow.

For the job, a rather special job, both men had acquired special coats for the occcaision. They had found them in a strange pub they had never seen before. Yannick had been wandering along an ordinary street when he had leaned against a wall that was not a wall. He had fallen through an open door that a pair of oddly dressed people were exiting. Inside the pub every person had been wearing strange clothes; Yannick assumed there had been a party. It was there in the middle of the room that he spotted the two coats, almost perfectly blended into the background the cats seemed to shimmer and change colour when he touched them, transforming into a formidable black with a small triangular insignia embroidered onto the lapel; such jacket, he thought, ought to be worn on special occasions, occasions like that night.

* * *

**10:05pm**

Harry had enjoyed the theater, Alicia had not. Harry had never seen an opera, Alicia hated all things operatic. And it was this topic that they were discussing as they left the theater and walked down a line of waiting cars to the one assigned by their hotel; their car was just around the corner at the end of the street. As they approached the doors a rough voice spoke behind them.

"nicht bewegen oder wir werden dich töten"

"I don't know what you mean" Harry responded.

"Wir wissen genau, wer du bist, nicht behaupten, Sie verstehen nicht. Er würde nicht glücklich sein zu wissen, Sie wollen nicht mit deinen dreckigen blooded Mutter sein!"

Alicia turned as pale as a sheet at these words and spoke, "Wer sind Sie?

"Sie wissen, wer wir sind"

Alicia and Harry shared a look, although Harry's was more of confusion, gripping each others hands tightly they twisted on the spot, it was never part of the plan to get caught, they were supposed to apparate from the hotel; disappear without a trace. As the turned they both caught a glimpse of the two men behind them.

They were both holding long thin items, obscured by the shadows in which they stood. In dark coats, made from what Harry thought could only be Thestral hide, a small insignia on the lapel, a triangle, a circle, and a straight line, was all Harry saw before he felt the uncomfortable sensation of apparating.

* * *

**10:10pm**

"Yannick, where on earth did they go?" Moritz asked.

"I don't know, I don't want to know. The client will not be pleased"

"Who says we have to tell him?"

Yannick was silent as he questioned why a villainous scoundrel such as himself would be honest.

"That's right, they disappeared into thin air! Lets get out of here, my coat is beginning to itch, whoever you stole it from must have had lice"

* * *

**Elsewhere at 10:10pm**

The younger Werner Ziegtman and his wife were seated in a nondescript train carriage now back in their original form. They had become aquainted with their magical guides and were rather enjoying themselves in a game called 'exploding snap' when a loud pop signified the arrival of the other two magical people, WZ Jr. thought there names were Alice and Harold.

Alice, if that was her name, looked pale, Harold looked physically ill.

WZ Jr. was uneasy at the thought of something that could make both the witch and the wizard so worried when they both whispered a single word that made the other two guides fall silent,

"Grindelwald"


	11. Ipsa Scienta Protesta Est

Alicia had only ever heard stories of Grindelwald from Dumbledore.

The British wizard had contacts in Europe that claimed this 'Grindelwald' was hell bent on founding a free regime for wizards with muggles treated oppressed to allow magic to flourish freely.

Alicia thought this plan had it's merits for wizards that would tempt many. What she did not agree with was the inclusion of muggle borns as a 'race' of lesser value.

She had thought herself far removed from this foreign threat, the more pressing situation in Germany had captured her attention. After being caught off guard by two of Grindelwald's agents despite travelling wards to alert Harry and herself to magical presence and threatened by men who knew about her mother's heritage, she was not sure whether Germany or Grindelwald presented the greatest danger.

Alicia conveniently forgot that both her and Harry had been poly-juiced at the time of the event, luckily for her dignity, so too did Harry.

* * *

Harry looked at the other passengers in the small carriage of the Vienna/Paris sleeper train. Apparently both he and Alicia had come to same conclusion whilst the other passengers looked confused.

Harry decided to take action, albeit a little delayed, five minutes was quite an impressive time for Primus to remain silent; Harry worried for the Weasly's health.

"..." He opened his mouth to no effect, he honestly could not comprehend how to explain, when nothing was forth coming Alicia rolled her eyes in an exaggerated and highly comedic fashion that seemed to reduce the tension in the carriage and began to tell the story.

"So, every thing went pretty well until we left the theatre, we walked to the car and behind us two strange men appeared behind us."

"Apparated?" Merope asked.

"No, there was no 'popping' noise, they just appeared. They began to talk to us in German, asking us whether or not I wanted to join my mother."

"Where is your mother?" Primus questioned.

"Dead."

"Oh..."

Harry released a breath, not knowing what the thugs had been speaking about, with his limited German, had only caught the words blood and mother, he had been startled enough to think they meant him, that somehow Grindelwald had discovered his secret; in retrospect it was an illogical thought _that's why you sucked at chess_ he told himself.

Alicia made a small noise in her throat as the other passengers avoided eye contact, "We apparated away before they could do anything, I only saw a glimpse of the two wearing black cloaks with a strange symbol on the lapel, both had wands aimed at our backs.

Harry felt the need to speak up after being thoroughly emasculated by Alicia's ability to speak when he could not, "The symbol is the mark of Grindelwald"

It was a rather subdued silence that met this statement, though there was no real fear of Grindelwald amongst the passengers, the thought that they had almost been caught was a sobering fact.

Harry was surprised when the first to speak up was the wife of Werner,

"Who?"

"...er, Grindlewald" Harry replied, as if repeating the name was an explanation.

"Yes, Grindelwald, who is he?"

To Harry the air in the compartment had both rapidly warmed and cooled, the earth had spun quicker and slower; Harry Potter had an epiphany.

Mind racing he replied, "Just a figure of current interest, he is alleged to support the National Socialist Party and is quite influential in Eastern Europe"

The wife of Werner, as well as Werner himself breathed a sigh of relief.

Harry's mind was in overdrive, go back in time, stop Tom Riddle Jr. from being born. That was his goal, but, with decades of future knowledge, why would he stop at just Voldemort? Surely there were numerous historical 'evil' that could be vanquished; vanquishing evil was a very noble pursuit for time travellers.

Hitler was just the first of oppressive leaders that could be stopped, millions of lives saved, an almost manical grin appeared on Harry's face as he thought of the power he held, knowledge of the future and magic, he could do so much good.

"Ipsa Scienta Protesta Est" was all the other occupants of the carriage heard.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait, I don't really an excuse :(

The fact that this chapter is super short makes it worse, but, I will try to get the next one up soon!


	12. Ironically my Longest Chapter

I told you I'd update quickly :)

* * *

The Grindelwald incident had shaken Alicia. His motives and plans were all unknown to her, so, after dropping off the Werner and his wife, Alicia paid a certain Auburn haired Transfiguration teacher a visit.

"I do not think there is much to be gained by seeking out Grindelwald" Albus had told her, his blue eyes twinkling; Alicia noted that she now loathed twinkling.

"He found us, he followed us! We were smuggling muggles and he found us! Why would he find us?" She kicked a small whirring instrument on Albus' shelf. There were several such instruments about the room, casting their silvery reflections across the dark wood desk and bright orange tapestry of sleeping trolls. The one Alicia kicked had been the loudest and shiniest, but more importantly to Alicia, the most difficult to fix.

"He was likely curious about you, I do not think those men crept up on you by his orders, they will undoubtably be punished for their actions. We can only hope that they will live to regret it, the Grindelwald I knew was not a forgiving man".

"You knew him?"

"Briefly, I knew his aunt, I do not think I ever truly knew him"

"O-kay then. I came to ask you if you would help me, I want to get inside this Grindelwald's operation, I want to know my enemy"

"How do you know Grindelwald is you enemy? The world is never so black and white"

"Will woman's intuition suffice?"

"No"

"Then how about I just want to know more about the man, he poses a threat, and until we know what he is planning we are blind"

"That is sufficient, for now. I will help you into his ranks, and, when you wish to leave, I will help you out"

"Excellent."

* * *

After the events in Austria, Harry had returned, with Primus and Merope, to England, the Hangleton's, and one Tom Riddle.

He would meet the Weasley family every Saturday for dinner, remark about Sixtus' growth spurt, and smile knowingly as his Mr. and Mrs. Weasly worried over Septimus' friendship with the little Black heiress, Cassiopeia. He almost fell off his chair when they spoke of a recent family visit to the Lovegood family in Ottery St. Catchpole, Septimus, it seemed had loved the trip so much that he announced that one day both he and Cassiopeia would one day live there with at least seven sons. Harry wondered if Septimus was a secret see-er.

As for Merope, she acted differently since their return.

Her hair and clothes were cut in French styles, her walk a little straighter, chin a little higher. She was still frequently visiting Tom, but, to Harry at least, the dynamics of their relationship seemed different.

Where once Tom had guided Merope through town, she now walked tall on her own, almost guiding him.

Her proficiency in magic had improved as well, frighteningly so, no longer was she an almost-squib, but a full blown, competent witch.

She could blast the dust and cobwebs from the pale wood flooring, scour the brass pots of the kitchen, and vanish the weeds in the garden at the same time.

Her time spent in town, combined with the easing of her lessons provided Harry with a lot of free time in which to plan.

He had expanded the interior of his house magically to include a secret study behind his wardrobe. When opened normally all that would appear was clothes, coats, and shoes. When the handle was tapped to the rhythm of _W-i-z-a-r-d W-h-e-e-z-e-r-s, _a trick he had taken from the Hufflepuff common room, the wardrobe would melt into the wall revealing a doorway into a room.

Inside the room, a large mirror covered one wall, an array of guns hung across the wall with the door, and across the remaining walls were an assortment of objects. At first glance they appeared to be ordinary household objects, a jar of walnuts in water, a pair of shoes, buttons, but upon closer inspection the walnuts were stewing in polyjuice potion, the shoes had traces of silencing and featherlight charms upon them, and the buttons were a modified version of the extendible ear. The idea had come from Dudley's muggle TV shows, secret agents would hide cameras inside their coats to listen and watch the enemy, Harry thought he might just do the same.

If Harry was entering the vanquishing business, he would be prepared, however unconventional his preparations may seem.

* * *

Okay, I will cut a long story short, I am abandoning this story.

I had an idea in my mind, a Harry travels back, tries to save the world, fails, then succeeds by pure luck. Do you know the saying, _If you're not talented, hope you're lucky _?

Anyway, in between me and my imagination was real life...real life sucks, so without further ado, I give you (any one who reads this) my unfinished story, maybe it will inspire someone else (this is doubtful), maybe someone will re-write it, I don't know...

If any of you do want to know my envisioned ending, keep reading, if you'd prefer to make up your own leave this page about now-ish!

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Okay:

Alicia infiltrates Grindelwalds growing ranks, apparently the wizard is secretly masterminding several key events in Europe, she has stumbled to the edge of a very big conspiracy involving muggle Jews, wizarding muggle borns, big power politics and money (lots of money), Harry does not know any of this.

Harry joins the NAZI party in an attempt to 'Kill Hitler' under the name of a famous NAZI general [I got this off misfits...I recommend seasons 1&2]

Merope becomes self-obsessed and vain with her developed powers, Harry looses focus on her in light of his newly founded 'Vanquishing business'

Primus leaves the quartet in search of a quidditch carrier with the Chudley Cannons.

* * *

It is now 1925, the year before Tom Riddle JR is born

Alicia has developed a network of spys throughout Grindlewalds operations, her spys go missing when they enter Germany, Harry, believing them to be Grindelwald loyalists has them executed and covers the killings up. Harry believes he can stop WWII if he can sever the links between Grindelwald and the NAZI party.

Merope has left Tom and is now living in London on a pension from Harry, her brother was released from Azkaban. She lives a very lavish lifestyle of parties, dancing and drink. She is unsatisfied with her life and attempts to escape her insecurities through her life style, such escapades include gambling, which soon leaves her broke and alone, after she spends all the money Harry left her.

Tom still lives in Little Hangleton, he marries a local girl.

* * *

1926

Merope has a baby boy to an unnamed father, loosing the will to live she leaves him at an orphanage and names him after Tom, whom she regrets leaving, as she dies she sees the flash of blue [From chapter 2].

* * *

1937

Harry is spiralling out of control, his ideas of saving the world have collapsed and he begins opening false factories for Jewish workers to live in, a type of sanctuary from the growing racial violence. (Schindlers list inspired)

Tom Riddle JR. Meets Dumbledore, his existence is unknown to Harry, and his child hood remains the same as in the original timeline.

Alicia, is a high ranking officer under Grindelwald, like Harry she has lost control, although she still aids some Jews to escape to America.

* * *

1945

[I now I skipped a bit but I'll fill you in]

*Tom Riddle JR continues his life the same

*Dumbledore believes Alicia to be dead

*Grindelwald is now running the NAZI operations as a cover for a war with wizarding Britain, Dumbledore is the leader of the underground resistance, the Dragon Army [nicknamed Dumbledore's army by Grindelwald]

*Harry fails at several attempts to assassinate both Hitler and Grindelwald

*Alicia is discovered as a Jew with Muggle connections and flees Bulgaria [where Grindelwald was] to Germany where she hopes to destroy the headquarters of the third Reich in an act of penance for all the mistakes she made trying to save the world.

Harry, after well and truly failing at the vanquishing Business anonymously invites Dumbledore to a meeting place where he secretly advises him about an upcoming summit to be attended by Grindelwald. Dumbledore tells Harry his voice reminds him of a young man he once knew that is long dead.

Harry travels by train to nowhere in particular, he wills himself to disappear. Whilst on a platform he sees the now much older Alicia. The two plan one final attempt to end the war, reasoning it couldn't get any worse.

The two attend Dumbledore's surprise confrontation with Grindelwald, as does a polyjuiced Tom Riddle JR, who, followed Dubledore to meet Grindelwald. Also there are all the major German leaders.

Dumbledore and Grindlewald fight, an avada kedavra shoots towards Tom Riddle JR. but at the last minute, and against all his instincts Harry pushes the disguised Riddle into the path of the curse, killing him. There is a flash of incredible blue light, when it dims Grindelwald and the NAZI leaders are bound, each is given the choice of suicide or facing a war crimes trial.

Harry and Alicia reveal themselves to Dumbledore, who allows them the choice of living normal lives in England.

No one sees the body of Tom Riddle Jr.

* * *

Harry marries Alicia and they have one daughter, Elaine Prince. [Harry has, by this point, forgotten much of his pre-past life]

The two suffer from PTS disorder for most of their lives after the war. When their daughter renounces them in favour of a muggle man they disapprove of [He reminds Harry of a man he has forgotten] the pair die peacefully in their sleep.

* * *

1991

On the Hogwarts train leaving platform 9 3/4 a little boy and his toad, a girl and her books, a freckled red head, a blonde, and a boy with bright green eyes sit together on a train. None of them ask about parentage, none of them care, none of them know of names not to be spoken; Harry had finally managed to save the world.

* * *

So, I thought it was depressing, one of the reasons I am giving up on it. I also found it equally cheesy, overly sentimental, and all around akward...

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Day/Week/Year/Life.

I probably won't write another FanFic...but thank-you, more than you realise, for bothering to read at all :D

Here's a joke to cheer you up:

A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak.

After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done.

The monsignor replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. if I start to get nervous, I take a sip."

So next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm.

Upon his return to his office after mass, he found the following note on the door:

1. Sip the Vodka, don't gulp.  
2. There are 10 commandments, not 12.  
3. There are 12 disciples, not 10.  
4. Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.  
5. Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass.  
6. We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J. C.  
7. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as Daddy, Junior and the Spook.  
8. David slew Goliath, he did not kick the shit out of him.  
9. When David was hit by a rock and was knocked off his donkey,don't say he was stoned off his ass.  
10. We do not refer to the cross as the "Big T."  
11. When Jesus broke the bread at the Last Supper he said, "Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me"  
12. The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry,"  
13. The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, yeah God.  
14. Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St. Peter's, not a Peter pulling contest at St. Taffy's!

* * *

Bye Bye :)


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